Journalists Aren't Supposed to be Biased
by Crystal-Turtle
Summary: AU: Maka Albarn is the head journalist for the school newspaper; Soul is the coolest guy in school. When bad rumors start to spread about Soul, Maka is there to defend him. But why? Maybe her bias is getting in the way... full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: All I Want is Some Silence!

**A/N: Hello world! This story has been bugging me for a while. My brain was telling me that I had to write a SoMa since that's my OTP. X3 I finally found time to write chapter 1, so here it is! Please read, and a review would be nice too. Enjoy!**

**Full summary: Soul Eater is the coolest guy in school; the guy every girl wants to be with. Maka Albarn is the head journalist for the school newspaper and her class's valedictorian. Bad rumors start to spread about Soul, threatening his musical scholarships. Maka can just tell that these rumors aren't true. She takes a personal interest in the tangled story and decides to find out what exactly is going on. But why is she so passionate about justifying Soul? Maybe her bias is getting in the way...**

**Chapter 1- All I Want is Some Silence!**

A light breeze ruffled 17-year old Maka Albarn's hair as she clutched her notebook to her chest. She sighed in disgust as she watched another guy walk by with a few girls clinging desperately to his arms. _Are all guys pigs? I await the day when I meet at least ONE decent guy._ Maka's mouth turned upside-down into a frown at the bitter thought.

"Is something wrong, Maka?" A beautiful girl with long black hair approached her scowling friend.

"Oh... sorry Tsubaki," Maka laughed sheepishly, "I was just in deep thought."

Tsubaki still looked worried, but dismissed it, seeing it was a sensitive topic for Maka at the moment. "Well, do you want to come over after school? We can finish our homework at my house," Tsubaki smiled, lifting her best friend's spirits.

"Perfect. Anything to get away from my papa." Maka grabbed her messenger bag and stood up. "I'll see you sixth period, 'kay Tsubaki? I gotta go to the library."

"Alright, see ya!" The taller girl walked off.

Maka rubbed her face, trying to make the scowl go away. Men just seemed to have that effect on her.

As she approached the library building, she already seemed to be calming down. The library was her sanctuary. There, she could think freely and concentrate without any useless distractions. Right now, that was exactly what Maka needed. The deadline for her school newspaper article was Friday, and it was Monday now. It would be better to finish it early and have time to edit it and make any changes if necessary.

As she entered the building, she ran into a boy on his way out. His light green eyes widened in surprise as he gave Maka a quick head-to-toe scan.

"Sorry, excuse me." Maka attempted to step around him, but he moved in her way again.

"Hey, you're a pretty cute geeky chick," he grinned, showing off his straight white teeth. "Wanna go out with me tonight?"

Maka's disgusted scowl returned. "Piss off, Hiro." She growled as she brushed past him.

"Fine, but you don't know what you're missing," Hiro wandered off to a group of typical slutty girls and started flirting, making them all burst into fits of high-pitched girly giggles.

"Egotistical asshole," Maka muttered, slamming her books on her solitary table. She pulled out her chair and opened her notebook, preparing to take notes on anything even remotely interesting happening in the DWMA. So far, all she could come up with was, 'geeks and unpopular students are shunned, and cheerleaders and jocks are worshipped.' The usual.

_Ugh,_ Maka groaned into her arms, _I need a good story._ She looked around the library for something interesting. In one corner, her main competition, Ox Ford, was diligently studying with his friend Harvar, who was sleeping. At a table close to them, some older students had their faces deep inside encyclopedias. Ah, the fun of research papers. Other than that, the library was pretty much empty.

Maka dug out a book and decided to read for the rest of her lunch period. She still had a good twenty minutes left, and she really needed to take her mind off of school at the moment. She opened her book to her bookmarked spot and resumed reading. She was so focused on her reading; she almost didn't notice the library's new guest.

A boy with crazy, stark white hair quietly entered, casually looking around. Finally he decided to settle at Maka's table. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out his ipod and his earbuds. "Mind if I sit here?" His deep voice shocked Maka, as she didn't even notice his presence.

"Sure," Maka said warily, hoping he wasn't another one of those self-absorbed pigs.

The boy sat a few seats from her, lazily put his feet on the table, and closed his eyes. Maka could hear the faint noise coming from his earbuds since he had the volume up so loud. _It sounds like he's listening to... jazz...? _Maka glanced over at her tablemate. He definitely didn't look like a jazzy-kind of guy.

Not a minute later, a flock of about five girls bustled in through the library door, loudly talking and giggling. "SOUL!" The one with purple hair squealed, glomping the half-asleep boy at Maka's table.

Blair. Maka had heard about her. The majority of the whole DWMA student body viewed her as the town whore. She was 19, two years older than the rest of her class, since she got held up twice.

"What do you want, Blair?" Soul grumbled, taking out one of his earbuds.

"I want you to play with me!" Blair said, jumping on his lap. The other girls had surrounded Soul at this point, staring at him like he was a trophy or something.

Maka looked away. She definitely didn't need this; she needed to concentrate. She almost felt bad for Soul. He looked like he didn't enjoy his unexpected company.

"Dammit, go away Blair!" He grunted, trying to push the curvaceous girl off his lap and avoid a nosebleed.

"Fine," Blair stood up, "I guess we'll just have to play _later._" With a wink and some obnoxious giggles, Blair and her entourage were gone.

Soul stood up, looking quite embarrassed and a little bit frustrated. He picked up his backpack, slung it on one shoulder, and sauntered out the back door of the library.

Maka watched his every move until he was gone without even noticing that she was doing so. When she came to her senses, she dropped her head in her hands. _Fantastic, I've gotten absolutely NOTHING done._ She sighed and looked out the window at the slowly receding figure of Soul. _Hopefully a new story comes up soon..._

**TO BE CONTINUED~**

**A/N: Why do I always pick on Hiro? XD Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Please tell me your thoughts in a review! **

**Oh, also, I forgot to mention that this story is going to be my latest project since I've decided to stop my story "A Second Chance." Just thought I'd mention that.**


	2. Chapter 2: I Trusted You

**A/N: Yay! I finally came up with chapter 2! It's been really tough, with school keeping me so busy (and me blowing off all my homework so I can watch Blue Exorcist XD) and just life in general.**

**Anyhoo, enjoy chapter 2! Reviews are nice too. :3**

**Chapter 2- I Trusted You**

Maka went home from Tsubaki's that night feeling the harsh sting of failure. She had gotten absolutely nothing done at all that day concerning her newspaper article, and now to add icing on the cake, she had to go home to _that._

When she dug out her key and cracked open the front door, Maka could hear a bunch of foreign female giggles._ Great,_ Maka tried her hardest not to slam the door. _Not a month after the divorce and he's already got himself a new toy._

Maka walked away from her 'so called' home, unsure of where to go now. She knew Tsubaki would take her in any day, but she didn't want to be a burden to her and her brother. Maka settled for a curb in the alley outside her apartment.

She stared up into the dark sky, only seeing one or two stars. _Man, the city lights really drown out the beauty of the stars, _Maka mused to herself. _What am I doing... _She buried her head in her hands. She tried to focus her mind on the important task at hand; her newspaper article, but found her mind constantly wandering back to her sleazy dad and his stupid hookers. _I could write an an article on my screwy home life,_ Maka inwardly bitterly laughed. _Hell, I could write a novel on all the issues I have._

Before she knew it, tears had started to roll down her face. The overwhelming pressure and stress, not to mention sucky home life, were finally taking their toll on the struggling adolescent girl.

A little ways away, she heard dragging footsteps approach her. She quickly tried to wipe away her tears, but her efforts were futile. She looked up into a pair of lazy dark red eyes, framed by a shock of white hair._ Oh crap... of all people, why him?_

"Hey," Maka said, her voice only slightly shaking.

"Sup," Soul said, nodding.

Maka sighed. _What does he want? _"What brings you here?" She tried to make cheery small talk, but it was coming out more strained than lighthearted.

"Drop the act," Soul said in a low, deep voice. "I can tell something's bothering you. You can tell me, y'know."

Maka bit her lip; her tears were returning almost as fast as they first came. She finally gave in, and let it all out into her hands. "I'm just s-so sick of it all!" Her muffled, hoarse voice screamed. "My dad is the biggest dickhead ever... H-he and my mom just got a divorce because he was cheating on her, and ever since then his cheating has gotten even w-worse!" Maka sobbed some more, thoroughly soaking her hands. "It's like... he's learned absolutely nothing. He's such a thickheaded asshole!"

Maka stood there for a few minutes, releasing her long pent-up emotions. Soul patiently stood there, one earbud still hanging out of his ear.

After she had finally calmed down, Maka looked up at Soul with watery green eyes. "There, I said it. Now why are you here?" She instantly felt bad once the words left her mouth. _Fantastic, I probably came off too harsh... _

Soul seemed unfazed, still blankly staring at her with that sleepy expression. He then did something extremely unexpected, and pulled Maka into a hug. Maka's eyes widened, but she did nothing to resist the comfort.

"I understand... I was trying to get away from my dump too." Soul sighed, absentmindedly twirling one of Maka's pigtails. "I was just out to take a walk, but then I saw you all curled up alone in that alleyway, so I came over, and I'm glad I did," Soul's mouth upturned at the corner into a faint smile.

Maka remained silent for a minute, then reluctantly pulled away from his comfy embrace. "Soul, thank you." She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks for letting me vent on you. Please don't mention this to anyone though," Maka's smile disappeared. She didn't want Tsubaki to find out Maka went to someone else before her.

"No prob," Soul smirked, then turned to walk back the way he came. "Hope things get better."

Maka smiled and watched him walk off again. _For some reason, I feel I can trust him._

**xXxXxXx**

Maka was about to dig her notebook out of her locker and close it when a girl with long dirty-blonde hair ran up to her.

"MAKA! GUESS WHAT?" The girl waved her arms dramatically. She was Liz Thompson, the older of the Thompson sisters. She was in the newspaper journalist club with Maka, but she never really did anything but gossip.

"What?" Maka said, trying to sound interested and humor Liz.

"You'll never guess," Liz smirked. "Y'know that guy, Soul Evans? Apparently he got with Blair last night and they totally did it!"

Maka's heart felt like it had just been run over by a bulldozer. "What?" She was barely able to squeak out.

"Yeah, I heard that a little after 11 last night he let her in and she didn't come out till like, 5 in the morning! It's so crazy, I..."

Liz's chattering was droned out by a ringing in Maka's ears. _It can't be true, it can't be true..._ Maka felt a little wobbly._ But he... I... we... last night... I thought I could trust him_... Her eyelids were heavy, her mind was swirling, and her legs felt like lead. Liz's words just wouldn't stop floating around in her head.

At some point, she finally buckled and slumped to the ground in the middle of the hallway, much to her excited friend's shock.

**TO BE CONTINUED~**

**A/N: So, what did you think? Sorry it's such a short chapter. The next should be a bit longer… Please share your thoughts! :D Reviews pressure me to write more for my awesome readers. C:**


	3. Chapter 3: Breathe In, Breathe Out

**A/N: Here we go, chapter 3! It's still a little short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Please leave a review sharing your thoughts! :D**

**Also, it's December! WOO HOO! XD I love this month!**

**Chapter 3- Breathe In, Breathe Out**

Maka slowly regained consciousness as she felt a tickle in her right arm. She tried to roll over without opening her eyes. _C'mon Mama, five more minutes..._ Maka faintly smiled as she stretched out her legs in the comfy bed.

"Maka, try not to move, okay?" A woman's voice spoke.

Maka opened one sleepy eye; that voice definitely wasn't her Mama's. A dark skinned woman with lots of bandages wrapping around her face was hovering over her with a worried look in her icy-blue eyes. Maka opened both eyes and looked over; a needle was sticking out of her right arm. Panic started to take over.

"Wh... Where am I?" Maka looked around, then remembered. _Oh yeah, I passed out in the hallway._

"You're in the nurse's office," the bandaged woman smoothed out Maka's sheets and sat down on the bed. "You passed out earlier. It seems like you were a little too stressed out for your body to take."

Maka sighed, fully remembering everything that happened earlier, and what Liz said. "Your friends Liz and Tsubaki took you here. They seemed really worried."

"I'll have to tell them thank you," Maka reminded herself out loud. "When can I go back to class, Mrs...?" Maka drew a blank; she had never been to the nurse's office before, so she had no idea who this woman was.

"Ms. Naigus," the woman informed her. "You can't go back until your blood levels are normal. Right now, they're out of whack because of your high stress level, so just take it easy and rest. Try not to worry about anything," Naigus patted Maka's knee, then stood up. "I'll be back soon, okay? And don't even think of leaving the infirmary."

Once Naigus was gone, Maka leaned back against her pillows, exhaling a deep sigh. _What Liz said can't be true..._ Maka hung her head. Naigus told her not to stress about anything, but she just couldn't keep her mind off of it. _Why would he run away from home, only to go back and hook up with some slut? It doesn't make sense!_

Maka shifted uncomfortably. The needle in her arm was really bugging her. She reached to peel off the medical tape holding it in when Naigus walked back in, 'tsk tsking' her.

"You heard me. _RELAX._"

Maka sat back in defeat. "Ms. Naigus, could you hand me my bag, please?"

"Sure," Naigus picked up Maka's bag and set it down on the bed next to her.

"Thank you," Maka said, digging out the novel she was reading. She found her bookmark and resumed where she left off. _I guess the best way for me to calm down is to read a good book._

**xXxXxXx**

For the next half-hour, Maka sat in her infirmary bed and read under Naigus's watchful eye. "Here, it's been a while... Let me take your blood pressure." Naigus reached for Maka's outstretched arm.

After a minute, Naigus cheerfully announced, "Your blood pressure has definitely lowered. You can go back to class now, but don't get so worked up!" Naigus handed Maka her sweater and walked her out.

Maka slowly walked to her next class: biology with Professor Stein. Maka shivered and grimaced; that class always creeped her out. She had that class with Soul, but not Blair, and it was last period._ After school, I'll confront him about it._ Maka was determined to find out the truth.

**xXxXxXx**

Last period seemed to go by slower than ever. Seriously, who cares about the structure of an African Bullfrog's stomach anyway? Just ring, bell!

Maka looked over at Soul, whose sleepy eyes looked even more sleepy than usual. _It can't be true, it can't be true..._ Maka kept telling herself over and over again.

After a small eternity passed, the bell finally rang. Maka noticed Soul was one of the first students to dart out of the room. If she ran, she'd catch up to him. Maka grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and took off after the albino boy.

Soul eventually came into sight, trudging along a sidewalk towards a bus stop. Maka carefully approached him, getting the 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling. When she walked up behind him, she gathered every bit of courage she possessed and simply asked, "Is it true?"

At first he had no response. Maka was afraid he would just ignore her, but then he mumbled something.

"What did you say?" Maka quietly asked.

"I said, apparently what I say doesn't matter." Soul turned around. Anger, exasperation, and a little bit of hurt were evident in his dark red eyes. "I told people it wasn't true, but that bitch just went around and told everyone in the whole freakin' school that we did it." Soul's voice was bitter and laced with hatred.

_I knew it! There was no way it could've be true,_ Maka sighed to herself.

"What the hell is she trying to prove?" Soul practically yelled into the air. Thankfully, the street they were on was relatively unpopulous.

"I'm sorry Soul, I... I don't know," Maka's emotions shifted from anxious and worried to angry and vengeful. She had only gotten close with Soul a mere couple of days earlier, but she felt he was a friend she could trust. When someone is attacking your friend, you naturally want to protect them. Because, after all, that's what friends do.

"But," Maka continued, "I want to help you."

Soul turned around and stared at her with a questioning look. "I'm gonna find out why Blair is doing this, and end it." Maka smiled, determination displayed clearly on her face. "You'll be justified Soul, don't worry."

Soul smirked. "Y'know, you're a really cool chick." He thrust out his hand. Maka took it in a strong handshake, giving him the first genuine smile she had given anyone in a really long time.

"Thanks, Soul." It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her heart.

**xXxXxXx**

Blair frowned. Why was Soul with that boring bookworm girl? He was supposed to be with _her._ Blair glared in their direction, turning to walk away.

_You'll pay for that, bookworm._

**TO BE CONTINUED~**

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Did you like it? Tell me in a review!**

**~Only 21 more days~ CHRISTMAS, HERE I COME! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: What a Tangled Web We Weave

**A/N: Chapter 3 is here! :D More drama! Please read… I hope you like it. c: Oh, and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 4- What a Tangled Web We Weave**

The deadline for Maka's article was fast approaching. She was still so stressed out (much to Naigus's dismay) about it, and the problems with Soul and Blair didn't help either. By then, the rumor had spread like an epidemic all throughout the entire DWMA. More rumors were spreading now about Soul losing his piano scholarship, getting suspended, and even a few about him possibly getting expelled. The whole predicament was really taxing on Maka's brain, and it wasn't even really her problem!

Maka walked into school that morning, feeling like she was being watched. When she looked around, she caught a few icy glares from some of Blair's followers.

_What the heck? What did I do?_ Maka thought, getting her books out of her locker. She shut her locker, and turned to head to her physical education class, ignoring the death glares.

**xXxXxXx**

The first half of the school day had passed. It was now lunch period, and Maka was sitting in the library, tapping her pencil on her chin. If she didn't think of something to write about soon, she'd be replaced as head journalist! _My position would probably go to Liz... _Maka's eyes widened in horror._ I GOTTA THINK OF SOMETHING FAST. _

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone tapping on her shoulder. Maka looked up into the dark blue eyes of her best friend, Tsubaki.

"I knew you'd be here," Tsubaki quietly laughed.

"Yeah, I'm trying to think of something interesting I can write about for my article," Maka replied, placing her head in her hands. Concentrating was a lot harder than she thought.

"Why don't you write about Soul and Blair?" Tsubaki suggested.

Maka visibly cringed at the mention of the rumor. _Hopefully Tsubaki didn't catch that._ "Nah, I don't want to write about something that isn't true." Maka tried to suppress the bitterness in her tone. Thankfully, Tsubaki paid no heed and dismissed the topic.

"Oh, okay. Well, Maka, I actually have to ask you a favor."

"Sure, go ahead," Maka was surprised; Tsubaki rarely asked for anything.

The taller girl sighed, blushing. "Well, you know Black Star..."

Maka's eager expression fell. _Ah, yes. Black Star, Tsubaki's idiotic boyfriend._ Two words came to mind when Maka thought of him: obnoxious and immature.

"...He wants to know if you can help him with his math homework after school," Tsubaki continued, "since you're so smart."

Maka rolled her eyes. _What, is Tsubaki his spokesperson? Why didn't he just ask me himself? Eh, who am I kidding. He's got too much of a god-complex to do that._

"He would've asked you himself, but he said he had some 'godly duties' he had to perform, so he couldn't." Both Maka and Tsubaki facepalmed.

"Whatever, tell him I can," Maka assured her friend.

"Thanks so much, Maka!" Tsubaki squealed, giving her a huge hug. "He needs this help so badly!"

_Yeah, I bet he does,_ the sarcastic voice inside Maka's head spoke.

**xXxXxXx**

Maka sat down on a bench outside the DWMA library. Black Star was supposed to meet her there two minutes ago, but alas, no blue-haired idiot was anywhere to be found.

Maka pulled her novel out of her backpack, opening it to her bookmarked page. The instant she did, she heard a few rustles in the tree above her. _Oh no..._

"YAHOOOOO!" A loud voice echoed throughout the quiet library overhang. Black Star jumped out of the tree he was in, did a flip, then somehow landed on both feet in front of Maka.

The said girl's mouth was agape. _What the hell just happened?_

"No need to worry, your god is here!" Black Star shouted to his invisible audience.

"Shut up and sit down," Maka deadpanned, opening her notes from last year._ Black Star's lucky I kept these. I guess not throwing away any of your notebooks can be handy, _Maka inwardly chuckled.

"Whatever, jealous." Black Star snickered as he parked his butt on the bench next to Maka.

Slowly, Maka started to explain the main concepts of geometry. She had taken the class the year before, so she had already learned the material. Black Star appeared to be paying close attention, but when Maka asked him to do a few easy problems, he got wrong answers to questions even 5th graders could answer correctly. Maka sighed._ I'm gonna be here forever..._

**xXxXxXx**

Blair and a few of her minions were walking up to the library to see if Soul had run off there again. Instead, Blair caught sight of an ash-blonde head and a bright blue head sitting close together on a bench.

_What's this?_ Blair's curiosity kicked into overdrive. They both had their heads almost resting against each other, and they were both laughing together. _Jackpot,_ Blair grinned like the Cheshire cat, digging out her phone to snap a picture of the two.

**xXxXxXx**

"Well, do understand it even a _little_ bit better now?" Maka sighed, putting her books into her bag.

"Yeah, I think so," Black Star flashed a huge grin, holding his hand up to high-five Maka. "Thanks a ton."

"You're welcome," Maka smiled, slapping his hand. "Do you think you'll need help tomorrow too?"

Black Star stroked his imaginary beard for a second, deep in thought. "Nah," he finally concluded, "gods like me can punch math in the FACE!"

Maka facepalmed again. Some people just never change. "Alright, well, see ya!" Maka turned to walk home.

"Yeah, see ya!" Black Star jumped back into the tree he jumped out of earlier.

Maka slowly walked home, lost in thought. _Hopefully Papa doesn't have any visitors again…_

**xXxXxXx**

The next day, Maka arrived at school in a panicked state. She only had two days left to think of something to write about! She went to her locker and got out her books, then took a long sip of the warm tea she had in her thermos with her. _At least this stuff is calming. _She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"MAKA! MAAAKAAA!" Rang Liz's frantic voice throughout the hallway.

Maka reluctantly opened her eyes, scared of what Liz was going to tell her now. Last time Liz had news, it certainly wasn't good news.

"Is... Is it TRUE?" Liz panted, leaning down with her hands on her knees.

"Is what true...?" Maka cautiously asked. _What the hell is she talking about?_

"About you and Black Star!" Liz said, dramatically putting emphasis on "you" and "Black Star."

"What about us?" Maka warily eyed Liz. She didn't like where this was going.

"That you two kissed! Everyone's talking about it."

Maka was hoping she had heard Liz wrong, but by the look on Liz's face, she was dead serious.

"WHAAAAAAAT?"

**TO BE CONTINUED~**

**A/N: What did you think? Please tell me in a review! Thank you for reading~ :3**


	5. Chapter 5: Mission: Wreck Maka's Life

**A/N: Mmmrrrggghhh. School is really kicking my ass right now. DX I almost didn't have time to update, haha. Anyway, here's chapter 5! Enjoy reading, and please review!**

**Chapter 5- Mission: Wreck Maka's Life**

Did Maka just hear correctly? Did Liz just say her and Black Star _kissed?_ Maka almost laughed; just the thought of kissing Black Star was enough to make her want to throw up.

Eventually, Maka gained enough composure to reply, "Look Liz, I don't know who told you that, but..." Maka was interrupted.

"They didn't tell me, I got the picture," Liz said, digging around in her bag for her phone. When she finally got it out, she turned on the screen and opened a picture message. Sure enough, there was a picture of Maka and Black Star, sitting on a bench very close together. It definitely looked like something was going on from the angle at which the picture was taken.

"A picture speaks a thousand words." Liz put away her phone and ran off, probably about to show more people the picture. Maka groaned. This definitely was just not her week.

She turned to head to first period, and caught a bunch of stares on the way, one of them being Tsubaki's. _Oh shit, I forgot about Tsubaki!_

The black-haired girl just stared at Maka with the kicked-puppy look, looking like she was about to cry. "Tsubaki, I..." Maka tried to reach her in the crowd of students, but it was too late; she had already run off.

"So, who sent you the picture?" Maka heard a girl ask her friend.

"Taylor, but I heard she got the picture from Blair."

Maka clenched her fists. She _knew_ that this had Blair written all over it. It was something exactly like what someone as low as Blair would do.

Maka quickly ran to the library. At this point, it was the only place she could go. _Screw first period... Who needs physical education anyway? _

Maka went straight to the back of the library. Since it was early in the morning and the librarian had just opened the doors, it was nice and dark inside. Maka sat down in a back corner, hidden amongst bookshelves and unnoticed by the librarian. There, she let all her emotions out. It felt good to cry once in a while, and this was exactly what she needed. _Does Blair just take enjoyment out of ruining peoples' lives? What does she even gain from it?_ Maka quietly sobbed._ I wish it would just stop... _

"Hey." A deep voice suddenly greeted her. Maka's head shot up upon recognition of that voice. Soul got down on the ground and sat next to her, leaning against a bookshelf.

"What... How... How did you know I was here?" Maka incredulously asked, trying to hide that she was just crying. _I know he doesn't just come to the library all the time at 8 in the morning..._

"I heard the rumors and saw the picture." Soul replied solemnly. "I figured you'd run here of all places." Out of the blue, Soul suddenly burst out laughing.

"What, you think it's funny?" Maka was hurt. "I thought of all people, you'd understand how I feel!"

Soul put his hand on her shoulder, calming down. "I wasn't laughing at you," he snickered again. "I was laughing because, really... you and BLACK STAR? Like that would EVER happen!" Soul cracked up again, making Maka laugh a little too. "I mean, c'mon, I hang out with the guy all the time, and I know he adores Tsubaki," Soul continued. "He'd never cheat on her. And he's way to stupid for someone as smart as you," Soul chuckled again.

Maka smiled. [At least someone believes me.] "Thanks, Soul. It means a lot that you came here." "No prob. I was just returning the favor," Soul smirked. "Now c'mon, before you're even more late to class."

Maka looked all over for Tsubaki after school, but couldn't find her anywhere. _Great, she probably hates me. I gotta think of a way to apologize to her and explain myself..._

Maka briskly walked home, not in the mood to be interrogated again about the damn picture. When she got to her apartment, she locked herself in her room and diligently started working on her homework. _Gosh, I'm supposed to write about other peoples' drama, but the only drama happening right now is my own!_ Maka almost laughed at the irony of the situation.

The homework that was assigned that night was easy, and left Maka with a lot of free time. She turned on her ipod onto the lowest volume setting, turned off her lights, and passed out on her bed for a long-needed nap. _Maybe I can just dream all this drama away..._

**xXxXxXx**

Maka woke up a few hours later. She opened her blinds; it was dark outside and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. She took out her earbuds and set her ipod on her nightstand, then walked over to her bedroom door.

_Might as well eat something since it's getting pretty late._

She had barely cracked open her door before her ears were assaulted by a cluster of high-pitched giggles. _Very familiar_ high pitched giggles.

"Oh Spirit, you sure are a frisky one," Blair's voice squealed from the living room.

Maka quickly slammed the door back shut, slumping down against her carpeted floor. Her eyes were wide with horror. _No... NO WAY._

**TO BE CONTINUED~**

**A/N: Phew… finally typed up that one. Did you like it! THEN REVIEW! :D **

**One more chapter to go! (And yes, I'm serious this time. XD)**


	6. Chapter 6: Thanks For Believing in Me

**A/N: Yay! The final chapter of my story! :') I just wanna say thank you to all my wonderful readers/reviewers/favoriters/whateverthehellelsers for inspiring me to keep the story going. Now, I hope you enjoy chapter 6!**

**Chapter 6- Thanks For Believing in Me**

Maka walked into school that morning feeling like a zombie. She barely got a wink of sleep last night, thanks to the um... disturbing events that occurred. Maka just thanked God Blair was out of the house by morning. If she woke up to that _monstrosity..._ let's just say some scary shit would go down.

The tired girl sluggishly dragged her feet through the hallway, still getting strange looks from people due to the newest rumor. She mechanically got her books out of her locker and took off for her first period class. She calmly ignored the rude comments and questions that were aimed at her, and just kept looking straight ahead.

_Right now, my life is hell._

**xXxXxXx**

The first half of the day passed slowly, taking its time in torturing Maka. She didn't see Blair anywhere at school, and her followers were aimlessly wandering around, like dogs who just lost their master.

_She must be at home 'recovering'_ _from her exhausting night._ Maka bitterly commented mentally. She would never speak to her father again. It would be better if she just ran away; but where could she run to?

Out of the corner of her eye, Maka saw a very familiar albino boy. "Hey Soul," she said, trying to sound cheery and miserably failing.

"Hey," he just grunted, sounding extremely depressed.

Maka worriedly sighed. Was that rumor about his scholarship true? "What happened? You can tell me," Maka placed her hand on Soul's arm. Soul instantly recoiled, trying to bite back a hiss of pain.

Maka's eyes widened as he carefully took off his jacket. His left arm sported a long, fresh burn scar, running up his forearm. "Let's just say my dad didn't appreciate me losing my scholarship," Soul sarcastically laughed.

Maka cringed; it actually hurt her to see him in pain like that. "How 'bout you?" Soul asked, forcing a fake smile.

"Well," Maka began, "last night I got a lot of my homework for the next few days done," she stiffly grinned.

"Cool. Did you finish your newspaper article?" Soul asked.

"No," Maka hung her head, her bangs veiling her face. "But I did catch my papa with another hooker."

"I'm sorry Maka..." Soul was interrupted.

"She was loud, annoying, _had purple hair,_" Maka's voice quivered with anger. "_And her name was Blair_."

This time, it was Soul's turn to wear the shocked expression. "No freaking way..." Soul honestly didn't see that coming. He knew Maka's dad was a man-whore, but wow. _He must have really low standards._ Soul grimaced. _Also, that means that those rumors about Blair being a hooker were true..._

"Yes freaking way." Maka's voice was low and didn't reveal much emotion other than pure hatred.

A long moment of silence passed between the two before it was broken by Soul's deep voice. "I'm ending this."

Maka looked up at him. What was he talking about?

"Blair isn't going to wreck anymore lives." And with that, Soul stood up and walked away, leaving Maka in a state of confusion.

**xXxXxXx**

Maka returned to her that apartment that night, still thinking about Soul. _What the hell did he mean by that? _She paced in her room. Finally, she tried to push it far back in her mind and do her homework for the weekend. _It's pointless to worry about my article now..._ Maka sighed. _Today was my deadline. I'm too late._ Whatever. Right now, her petty extracurricular activity was the least of her worries. She had to find a way to stop her and Soul's lives from spiraling downward any further.

Maka diligently worked on her homework until it was all finished. She then picked up her book, which she was almost finished with.

About twenty minutes later, she set the book down, scowling. The ending of that novel would've left any normal reader with a satisfactory feeling, but not Maka. She didn't believe in fluffy, happy endings. _They were overrated_.

_Maybe I'll go to the library and pick out a new book._ Maka thought, puting her shoes on. There were perks to having a completely deadbeat father: he didn't ask her where she was going or when would she be back.

Maka stepped out of her apartment door, locking it behind her and sticking the key in her shorts pocket. She quickly descended the stairs, bumping harshly into someone on the way.

"Owww..." Maka groaned, seeing stars for a few seconds, until realization hit her. "SOUL?" Maka was surprised to see her white haired friend standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

Soul had a large smirk on his face, like he had just accomplished something amazing. "I have good news. We won't have to worry about Blair for a while."

"Huh? Why? What do you mean...?" Maka was confused. Was Blair moving away or something?

"Blair just got arrested, for multiple counts of soliciting prostitution." Soul's smirk only grew.

"But how?" Maka asked. "Did they catch her in the act?"

"Nope," Soul shook his head. "I just called them and told them she was a prostitute, then I told them she was still at school. When the cops went to check it out, they found her and checked her ID. Conveniently, it matched the records they had from when she was taken to juvie for prostitution two years back. They took her in, in front of all of her sluts and a bunch of other students hanging out after school. She then admitted to starting a bunch of rumors and lying about sleeping over at my place." Soul sighed a contented sigh. "So... yeah. We won't be hearing from Blair anytime soon."

Maka opened her mouth to say something, but her phone rang in her pocket. "Hello?" Maka answered.

"Maka, I... I'm so sorry for ignoring you!" She heard Tsubaki cry on the other line. "I didn't know it was just a rumor, and that Blair made the whole thing up... and I'm so sorry for thinking you would..." Tsubaki's sobbing was cut off by Maka's soothing voice.

"It's okay, Tsubaki, you're fine. I'm not upset. I'm just glad you aren't ignoring me anymore," Maka lightly laughed.

Tsubaki shakily sighed in the other line. "Thanks for being the best friend ever, Maka. Again, I'm so sorry for doubting you!"

"It's okay," Maka repeated, "you'll always be my best friend, even if you hate me. Now, I gotta go... I'll see you tomorrow." Maka smiled.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Tsubaki said cheerily, hanging up.

Maka happily sighed, turning to Soul. "Good news spreads fast, huh?" She giggled, giving him a huge hug. "Thank you, Soul." She said, closing her eyes. Soul separated from her for a brief moment, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. When they finally parted, Soul pulled her into a hug again.

"Thank you too, Maka."

_You know, it looks like my intuition was right. I knew I could trust you._

**FIN.**

**A/N: The end! :D Did you like it? Then review! Thank you for reading my story. :3**


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